1 DAY AGO - I am noise sensitive. Not in the miserable sense, but if I can hear the detailed undertakings of mouth and saliva mechanics, it does something to me. It’s rage-inducing, I could literally jump over a table and pull out whatever you’re swilling around and throw it at a waiter. ‘WHY DID YOU GIVE HIM THIS’... Read more » Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - Héctor Bellerín played well for Arsenal Under-23s while returning from injury, but not every big star is a great exampleBy Gavin Willacy for Playing in the ShadowsMost of the Arsenal Under-23 team will have been unfazed by the thought of playing Liverpool at Meadow Park in Borehamwood in front of a crowd of 358. But a few of them may have been starstruck when they looked around and saw Héctor Bellerín in their defence. Bellerín’s appearance was unusual for two reasons. Star players returning from injury usually play for less than an hour and only do so in reserve games at the club’s own stadium. Bellerín played the full 90 minutes at a local non-league ground, setting up Arsenal’s second equaliser in a 2-2 draw.Lining up alongside an established international should help the young Arsenal players develop. However, star names often prove as much aggro as they are worth for Under-23s managers. One told me: “We get different first-team players every game and it’s always for the benefit Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - This is serious people. We need to chat. I think Arsenal internet has taken things too far. Mustafi was asked if he was the second-worst defender in the world because Arsenal fans voted him into that position for an online poll. In the moment, it’s amusing. Reality is, we’ve crushed the career of a footballer.... Read more » Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - The title of this post sums up the consensus of opinion from yesterday’s post that asked the question of what we should be doing with the aforementioned players. The results of the polls embedded in the post showed that more than 60% of those who lodged an opinion were in favour of selling Mesut Ozil, […] Collapse

07/10/2019 - Today’s tell-all is on an international break While opinions vary on who exactly is responsible for the current mess in which Manchester United find themselves, the Rumour Mill is prepared to take the holistic view that there is plenty of blame to go around. But while the owners, their executive vice-chairman and assorted players are all culpable to varying degrees, it is the first-team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær who will ultimately be scapegoated once the denizens of Old Trafford turn on the club hierarchy and demand something approaching a bang for their buck.Following yet another defeat for his team, arguably the worst Manchester United side in Premier League history, the vultures of the bookmaking community are circling overhead after slashing his odds of being the next Premier League manager out of a job. Having previously been of a mind to hire Mauricio Pochettino, before making the knee-jerk decision to over-promote Solskjær in a misguided attempt to ingratiate himself upon Collapse

07/10/2019 - City need De Bruyne fit, Connolly is a rising star at Brighton and Everton’s Silva should beware the international breakThe Dozen: our pick of the weekend’s best imagesUnai Emery, in his programme notes for the game against Bournemouth, spoke about the importance of balance and how he wants his side to be “competitive both defensively and offensively”. That is excellent in theory but it needs to be put into practice and yet again on Sunday there was little evidence of that. Arsenal won but they did not play well and the most glaring issue is the lack of an obvious plan. Are Arsenal meant to press aggressively, and if so why did that part of their game drop off so alarmingly? Are they meant to dominate possession, and if so why do their midfielders appear to spend more time running than playing passes? It is confusing and while injuries are an issue for Emery, particularly in regards to his first‑choice full-backs, it is fair to expect that after more than a year in charge his vision Collapse

06/10/2019 - A brilliant performance from Wolves saw them win at Man City, while Chelsea thrashed Wolves and Arsenal sneaked by Bournemouth 4.12pm BST Right then, that’s absolutely us. Enjoy the rest of the weekend – ta-ra. 4.12pm BST Related: Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount fire potent Chelsea to Southampton victory Related: Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount fire potent Chelsea to Southampton victory 4.10pm BST Related: Arsenal hold on to beat Bournemouth thanks to heroic turn from David Luiz 4.09pm BST Related: Wolves’ Adama Traoré stuns Manchester City with late double 4.05pm BST Otherwise, that’s nearly us. Join John Brewin for Newcastle United v Manchester United... Related: Newcastle v Manchester United: Premier League – live! 4.04pm BST That was an absolute jazzer of an early afternoon. It’s only October but already City are in all sorts – they’ve lost two of their first eight games and trail Liverpool by eight points. It’s a long way back and, at the very least, they’ll probably need Collapse

05/10/2019 - Unai Emery has started taking press conferences to the same levels Arsene Wenger did towards the end, they’re almost not worth paying attention to. We want to find balance. We want to control games. We want to defend. It’s a little harder to fathom the true message due to the language issues, but the manager... Read more » Collapse

04/10/2019 - Thursday nights are party nights. Unai Emery has turned a pub level competition into a feast for the eyes. He’s taken Wenger’s post-2004 model for the League cup and amped up one of the least glamorous nights in the game. He’s turned Jumpin’ Jacks into an 80s night or decadence on the French Riviera. Last... Read more » Collapse